Forum:A poor man's Fallout?
This game strikes me more like the love-child of Fallout and the Call of duty series of games. The controls are IDENTICAL to CoD's setup, right down to the special move/special grenade, zoom and sprint buttons. The big diff is the non-linear story line, Borderlands you're free to go anywhere and do anything you want whereas the CoD single player campaign is one-way or no-way. The Fallout factors are mostly the skills and 'level' system, a hint of an rpg mixed into a dominantly first-person shooter. Personally, I think its a pretty cool way to go about it, not quite the Fallout method but teh lack of VATS means that proper multiplayer options can be offered (since there's no game-pausing effects like with the VATS system). Claiming Borderlands copied the wasteland setting is like saying all zombie movies are original...just not going to happen, its a broad, well-used and understood setting that multiple games have used in the past and done exceedingly well as a result. ---- I mean, sure, on some level any "post-apocalyptic" "role playing shooter" will face this comparison, but here the similarities seem glaring. We've got a protagonist searching for a "vault" amid a "wasteland" full of "raider" style adversaries. Toward the end, advanced armored troops show up, the Crimson Lance, who have their own "Enclave" and advanced technology. If the games were farther apart in release one could say that Borderlands was a "homage" to Fallout, but given that they are contemporaries, the former just seems to borrow too much. This said, it's not a bad game, and will certainly please fans of the genera(correctly spelled "genre"AYOOOH!!!(thats steve) 14:27, December 3, 2009 (UTC)), but let's not sugar coat it: this game borrows heavily from Fallout, and that's putting it politely. ---- Vault is a fairly common word y'know. It's generally a place to put things in securely. Post apocalyptic based worlds generally have a wasteland and indeed, a population of bandits or raiders taking advantage of lawless society. And given that the protagonist from Fallout 3 is leaving a vault, as opposed to searching for it, and that the vaults have little to do with the plot of that game, I'd say you're clutching at straws on that front. Considering that Fallout 3 is indeed, the third in a series, and that the world of Fallout has been going for quite a bit longer than the conception of Borderlands, you shouldn't really compare the two games as being released together, not as far as their setting is concerned - the wastes, the raiders, the enclave (and the brotherhood of steel) and vaults were all around for a long while now. Perhaps Borderlands did take inspiration from Fallout. Or maybe from another post apocalyptic setting. Seeing as Fallout owes much of its design from the Mad Max films, perhaps Borderlands did the same. You just don't know. From a gameplay perspective, they're completely different, so it's not like they've taken that much. I'm not saying there aren't similarities between the two games in their settings, but they're pretty much the same similarities as any post apocalyptic setting. I could draw similarities between both games and the Firefly TV series, but that doesn't mean that one has stolen from the other. Also - overusage of quotation marks doesn't help put your point across OriBiggie 10:00, November 5, 2009 (UTC) ---- Fallout 3 = RPG with a tadbit of action. Borderlands = Action with a loot-based smell. --Aelwrath45 15:56, November 5, 2009 (UTC) ---- I can see more parallels between Firefly's space western feel and the environment of Pandora more so than I can Fallout's world. Fallout 3, you were lucky to fin any kind of established, functioning cities of any variety, never any kind of vending machine, or global communications. It's more of a wild west feeling than post-apocalyptia. It's folks living in a desert, instead of folks living in a blast crater, Instead of your generic cowboys and Indians, it's rough-and-tumble settlers against bandits and outlaws, instead of rattle snakes you have Skaggs, and instead of the California Gold Rush, you have the Vault Hunts. Most people living in settlements have access to the Echo Net, teleportation is a common fact of life ((New-u Stations and quick travel, Scooter teleporting or making vehicles on the spot)). Since the game was announced, there were folks lamenting the rip-off of Fallout feel, and so far, I just haven't seen the parallels with Borderlands at all. I honestly expect to see the Firefly land in the middle of the Headlands before I expect to see Super-Mutants running out of alien vaults. Das Steube 16:42, November 5, 2009 (UTC) ---- And Fallout borrowed heavily from various post-apocalyptic sources as well. What's your point? The two games play differently, despite being "first-person shooters". I would call Borderlands a solid, first-person shooter that's part Mad Max, part Fallout, part Diablo, part Serious Sam and a refreshing hint of Firefly/Serenity. Borderlands has a similar look as Fallout, I will say, but I wouldn't go so far as to allude that the game designers have stolen from Fallout lock, stock and barrel, as the OP seems to imply. Pdboddy 17:31, November 5, 2009 The game takes heavily from the mad max series. if you look it up you'll find info on that, but i have played Fallout as well. If fall out would hav had action like boarderlands then it would be the shit.(UTC) ---- Totally different style of gameplay really - sure there are similarities but in practice they are fewer than you might imagine. Both games are excellent without a doubt and I'd advise anyone to play both if they can. UKJoolsy 19:42, November 5, 2009 (UTC) Honestly Borderlands playstyle is closer to that of Halo. The loot system is similar to Diablo 2. Content wise its not a very deep game (like fallout 3) but its much more 'actiony' also it allows for multiplayer, something fallout's rich gameplay could never do (hence all the companion mods available for the PC verision) The premise of the game (post apoc w/ guns) seems to have mislead people into thinking it would be a much larger game that it is (that or if you were following the game from alpha stages... Q.Q multiple cars!) I think alot of this will be corrected in the games sequel or if they release some DLC.... (3rd playthough? Hardcore mode?) The game has ALOT of small exploits and various bugs that really should have been caught before release.... although i guess thats what patching is for.... the PC version should never have been released as it was, along with a slap in the face w/ gamespy matchmaking (seriously, 1994 called, they want their multiplayer back) Overall I am still in the mindset that this game is a solid 8, not a 9.8 that reviewers have pasted it with. 0.02 dollars inserted 19:59, November 5, 2009 (UTC)brynsul I can't believe no one has made the comparison to Phantasy Star/PS Online! it's almost the exact same game!!! there are some differences of course; different setting, totally first person. but the weapons/gear system, travel between zones, mission format, random loot drops....is soooo psol. This is a good thing btw....i was totally addicted to psol for almost a year. now i have a new drug! DZA6010 16:27, November 9, 2009 (UTC) : Well, it may use similar mechanics for moving about or wearing gear, but it has an entirely different feel and flavour than PS or PSO. Many modern crpg and mmorpgs follow a similar format. Pdboddy 18:17, November 9, 2009 (UTC) ---- Whenever someone asks me to describe Borderlands, I tell them, "Diablo 2 and the anime Trigun had a baby." Though it does have some obvious influences from Mad Max as well. -Kleptomaniac Personally I agree with Das Steube. Borderlands has very minimal inspiration from Fallout 3. The only thing I could consider being inspired is the personal devices that the player uses. And that's pushing it, since even 'Doom 3' had a personal device, the PDA. You could say that Fallout 3 stole the idea from them, even though in reality they did't. As someone who enjoys everything the game design field has to offer, and appreciates the work that designers put into their games, I can say that Borderlands is a lot more original than people give it credit. There is of course, the usual inspirations for a great game. But come on, how many games pulled inspiration from 'Diablo 2'? Like, a plethora of games. It's unfair to even begin to compare Borderlands to Fallout 3. If you really take it from the right perspective, both games are equally unique. And comparing anything between is stupid. In reality, Fallout 3 didn't feel as RPG'esque to me. Mainly because it was easy to just pick up one gun, and plow your way through the entire game in a day. I literally beat the main questline in one day. However, with Borderlands, the game has more re-playability. Fallout 3's re-playability is limited to finishing quests that you didn't know were there. And with the 20 levels being easilly finished, the only other thing to add fun was the DLC packs. With Borderlands, you're compelled to do the entire game over again, to get new stuff. And after that, you're compelled to start another character because the game will play different every time. Fallout 3's minimalistic weapon system was a breaking point for me. With only a handful of weapons, that you will use for the entire game, it was just aweful. I'm not saying Fallout 3 was bad, I still play it every so often, but it just doesn't hold the same value as Borderlands in my opinion. --RinArenna 23:43, November 10, 2009 (UTC) ---- Describe Borderlands; Diablo 2 with guns. besides a few things like art direction and of course the relevant technology (cars/teleportrs) ---- "Describe Borderlands; Diablo 2 with guns." So, if that is true, then if I ever needed to describe Diablo 2, I could say, "Diablo 2 is just like Borderlands, without guns." Somehow, that doesn't seem like it would be an easy comparison. I've played Borderlands, but not Diablo 2, and that description gives me no incentive to start. ---- Just thought I'd point out the fact that Borderlands is not post-apocalyptic. The planet was a wasteland from the start and hasnt been colonized for that long so it makes sense that there would be bandits. ---- I think Kleptomaniac hit it right on the nail. Really, because fallout is in the 1st person perspective, people think it is a FPS. While one can try to play it that way, whether you hit your target and how much damage it does is based on dice rolls, unlike Borderlands where it is physics based. They are, in and of themselves, completely different types of games. Fallout is often slow and methodical whereas Borderlands is always in your face throwing crowds of enemies at you. Characters in Fallout grow stronger as you up their statistics meanwhile character is Borderlands grow stronger through stat bonuses (not core stats... those never change), better weapons, and abilities. It's like comparing apples and oranges to me. ArigusX207 16:43, December 3, 2009 (UTC) ---- I've played both Borderlands and Fallout 3 (although I play Borderlands much more then I played Fallout) and you just can't compare the two in any really meaningful way. Combat in Fallout 3 is much more structured and regimented; it's an RPG with guns, whereas Borderlands is a FPS with experience. If someone is thinking of playing Borderlands because they think it's a pure RPG, they're going to be disappointed, just as people playing Fallout 3 thinking they're gonna get a FPS feel are gonna be disappointed. In recommending this game to friends, I go based on their history with RPG's and FPS's. My hardcore RPG and JRPG playing friends, I know they're not interested in Borderlands. The friends I have that are hardcore Shooters fans are generally not keen on Fallout 3. Not to say that this game, or any other game, is mutually exclusive to a certain group of people...but it's pretty easy to see if a certain person is gonna like this game, honestly. Personally, I love the Borderlands formula, the replay value is exceptionally high, although I would like to see a few changes, like the max amount of money, for instance (dying and losing a mil+ is annoying when you cap at 10...) and some tougher bosses for sure. Guess we'll just have to wait for the DLC :) I wish we'd see more games like this, like Diablo, and Titan Quest they weren't over complicated and "bogged down" with RPG elements, but had enough to give you a sense of ownership for your character. - Effedup 20:52, December 3, 2009 (UTC) ---- fallout3=rpg with fps elements, borderlands=fps with rpg elements, call of duty= suck *face melting guitar solo here* 20:59, December 3, 2009 (UTC) kiill42 well, I wouldn't go that far (about CoD I mean), but again, it's an FPS, and that's all it is. Though you "level" in the multiplayer and get access to different weaponry, it's more for e-peen purposes then anything else. Always hated that about CoD personally...which is why I've pretty much given up on it. I can only listen to some kid screaming "boom headshot!!!!" so much before I wanna strangle him. Same with CS:S... lol -Effedup 21:02, December 3, 2009 (UTC) ---- that is so true about multiplayer shooters in general! the only reason I still play halo is because we LAN match and do custom games... little kids of xbox live are so annoying. Thank goodness I haven't run into that much with borderlands! ArigusX207 23:28, December 3, 2009 (UTC) ---- i cant remember what reviewer said it of if it was even a quote of the dev team but it was (on the topic of FPS RPG genre "Fallout did it from the RPG side, Borderlands does it from the FPS side"